The number of people killed in mines, other than coal mines, declined three percent year on year to 2,271 in 2006, said sources with the State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS).

The number of accidents has decreased for three years in a row in the non-coal mining sector since the government began issuing safety licenses to qualified mines.

Statistics from the SAWS showed about 17,000 unsafe non-coal mines were closed in China last year.

Ninety-five percent of all the non-coal mines in China were small, and serious accidents often took place, said an official with the SAWS.

In 2007, SAWS will place non-coal mines in Linfen City of the northern Shanxi province, Baotou City of the northern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Regions and Chenzhou City of the central Hunan province under special surveillance.

An earlier report from SAWS said 5,286 miners were killed in coal mine accidents between January and November last year.